


Adamantine

by coruscanti



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A lot of world building, Armitage Hux Has Issues, F/M, Hux doesn't let anyone close but that's all gonna change, Kylo Ren and Hux hate each other, Slow Burn, The First Order, The First Order is scary, The Galactic Empire, Thea Hoffe is a bamf, he needs a hug, they're like siblings i luv it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coruscanti/pseuds/coruscanti
Summary: Secrecy, violence, and control. That is the essence of the First Order, and Senior Lieutenant Thea Hoffe will protect the Order with her life to bring back justice and rule to the suffering galaxy. Raised to be an instrument of change and a weapon against the loathsome New Republic, Thea's role in the Order is solidified when she is stationed at Starkiller Base, under the direct supervision of the infamous General and First Order architect: Armitage Hux. Will her dedication to the Order lead them all to salvation? Or will the Resistance snuff out the First Order before they can restore law to the galaxy?
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Original Female Character(s), Armitage Hux/Reader, Armitage Hux/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Adamantine

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I wanted to write a story where Hux has a bit of a better ending than he did in the films, so that's what I'm going to to! This story starts about a year before The Force Awakens, so this fic is going to be a long journey. I hope you enjoy!

Love was never the intention. 

How could it be, in such a cold, abusive place as this? This is where love comes to die, to be stifled and suppressed. Comfort is beaten, begging and bruised in the name of control and superiority. Deafening silence, its constant presence throughout is creeping and swift, as final as a plunging blade behind locked doors. Secrecy and privacy are revered virtues held close to the chest, clenched so tightly that desperate nails leave bloody marks on every whisper and searching eye. Everything gleams so brightly, so aggressively, with such immaculate artificiality, that sight becomes complacent and submissive. The outside is temporary, every planet and system fleeting and weak. All this power,  _ this  _ is true. This is mighty. This is raw. This is the First Order. Blind hate, unwavering loyalty, that is all that is permitted.

Nothing stands against the First Order and survives. Not even love. 

That’s what they thought. They were wrong.

Still, love is dangerous, and even if it wasn’t intentional, it didn’t matter now. Not when everything hung in the balance. One slip could send the life she fought to protect over the edge and into the cruel abyss. Would she leap in after him if he fell into the darkness? Without question, and that’s what scared her.

“Please, stay with me.”

The man below her was still, skin pale and lips turning to the color of brunnera blossoms, the flowers that peppered the rainforest floor of her homeworld. He lay peacefully on the gurney she pushed, and she thought that if that is what death looked like, maybe she wouldn’t be so scared to join him if she failed. As she ran, her feet pounding against the unblemished obsidian floors of the Star Destroyer, she held his hand. It was loose and cold and tears welled in her eyes as she sprinted, aided with adrenaline and anxiety.

“Don’t give up on me, not yet.”

No, love was never the intention. But now? 

It was everything.

* * *

**2 Years Ago**

**33 ABY**

**The Unknown Regions**

The cold vacuum of space leered indifferently outside of the First Order cruiser, pressing against the impossibly thick durasteel that separated Senior Lieutenant Thea Hoffe from the lifeless void of the Unknown Regions. Inside the cabin, Thea regarded distant stars as they streaked by at hyperspeed in silence. All personnel on board were mute as the pilots focused on maneuvering the cruiser safely through hyperspace, an especially daunting task this far out into the unexplored galaxy. 

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable to Thea, as it was always hushed in any First Order setting. Officers needed to communicate effectively and quickly, and unnecessary noise was not tolerated by any self-respecting member of the Order, much less Thea herself. That was one of the first principles taught in the academy, be silent unless spoken to. It was a cornerstone of First Order operations, one that Thea followed with rigor.

The principles of Thea’s formal education were housed at the highest peak of her moral hierarchy. It was her absolute fidelity to those morals that allowed her to excel within the ranks of the First Order. That, and the fact that her parents were wealthy Empire loyalists, fiercely devoted to the Empire’s cause enough to financially support it throughout her childhood. It only made sense that after its violent defeat, the affluent Hoffes would go on to fund a rising creed that promised to restore order and law to the chaotic galaxy; The First Order. 

However, while the status that came along with being a Hoffe may have given her an edge during academy training, it was her ardent allegiance to the First Order that allowed her the position of Lieutenant after graduation and notoriety among high command. 

Growing bored of the monotonous scene of hyperspace playing outside the viewport, Thea turned toward the interior of the cruiser and observed the crew on board. Most of the inhabitants were technicians, greatly needed where the ship was heading. The rest were petty officers or squad leaders, signified with the bands on their charcoal uniform sleeves. 

In other words, Thea thought with a small smirk, First Order personnel with little to no status in upper command. 

To her delight, Thea was the highest-ranking officer on the cruiser, maybe even within the parsec depending on how far they were from their destination. That realization gave her an air of self-satisfied confidence, even if she had only been promoted to Senior Lieutenant a few days prior. 

Sitting up straighter, Thea cleared her throat and shifted to a neutral expression, slipping the mask of First Order officer back into place. Even if she felt it internally, representatives of the First Order would never compromise their dignity by appearing smug. Crossing her legs, she looked to the pilots at the front of the ship.

“How much longer until we reach Starkiller Base?”

The pilot looked slowly in the direction of the voice but snapped to attention when he discerned the question had come from Thea.

“We will arrive in less than an hour, Senior Lieutenant.” His voice sounded strained, as if he was trying to conceal a level of fear.

“Very well.” 

Finding no other distraction within the cruiser, Thea turned once more to the viewport. Setting her hand under her chin to prop up her head, she let the lull of hyperspace whisk her mind to places far from the cruiser. 

She reminisced about the sterile classrooms and glistening student quarters of the officer academy aboard the  _ Finalizer _ , her young adult years spent staying sharp and cold and merciless amongst her fellow students on the Star Destroyer. Her mind waned to the humid jungles that surrounded her home on Eriadu, the dense foliage and warm dirt familiar friends in her adolescence. She thought back to the most innocent years of her childhood when the Empire, the Republic, whatever ruling government was just a passing fad, soon to be overtaken by something more mighty and even more unstable. 

She was born only a year after the Galactic Empire surrendered to the New Republic. Her mother and father used to say she was their beacon of light in the darkness, their phoenix that rose from the ashes of the Empire. While the galaxy was falling apart around them, Thea’s parents clung to any sense of peace and normalcy that hadn’t been ripped away from the New Republic. The Hoffes spent their days on Eriadu, living in their jungle paradise that was Thea’s childhood home, far from the illegitimate government that brought only turmoil and sorrow.

The Outer Rim was impossible for the New Republic to fully control, and that gave the fallen Empire and its loyal followers some breathing room to regroup once defeat was official. At the time, news of the Republic slowly retaking the galaxy system by system was faraway news, just another planetary import to the isolated Eriadu. Empire control had never truly shifted away from the temperate Outer Rim planet, although official reports would state otherwise.

Thea’s early memories resembled lavish parties at her family’s estate on Eriadu, her graceful mother dressed in the finest fabrics her indomitable father could procure. Thea herself was always dressed in the unforgiving cloth that matched her father’s ensemble, almost a mirror image of the looming man. Thea and her father were practically identical, the olive skin and chestnut hair of her mother absent in the little Hoffe. Thea’s hair was a straight, raven black, pulled away from her face to display the pale complexion and proud aquiline nose of her father. The only resemblance Thea and her mother shared was their hazel eyes, everchanging and beautiful like a bubbling forge of emerald and copper.

Thea’s mother, Gena Hoffe, was the daughter of a Republic senator and eventual Empire founder. Born on Coruscant, Gena was engulfed in comfortable prosperity from the moment of her birth. She’d always told Thea of the magnificence of her homeworld, full of romantic intrigue, sharp tongues, and glittering flutes filled with intoxicating beverages. As the Clone Wars raged, Gena was raised in the untouchable spires of Coruscant, toddling in the luxurious highrises of the senatorial sector. When the Republic fell and the Empire emerged from its ashes, Gena became immersed in the life of post-war splendor.

It was Gena’s taste for the grandiose that brought the Empire to their door over the years, their tails between their legs as they begged for scraps and status.

Thea remembered sitting amongst disgraced Galactic Empire officials with elegant poise, straight and attentive, just as her father had taught her. She remembered their officer uniforms, which used to be laundered and pressed to perfection were now worn haphazardly, loose threads and unmended tears commonplace on each man’s body. Such carelessness was unforgivable, Thea recalled thinking. 

Those late-night socials on Eriadu repulsed Thea. They served as a constant reminder of how far the mighty Galactic Empire had fallen. What was once unyielding authority and resolute control was now aging men in decaying uniforms, living for material pleasures in a galaxy gone awry. The Empire’s collapsed command was obsolete, defeated, and grasping onto false power through shallow dinner parties and inconsequential soirees. 

The only one who hated it more than Thea was her father, Kohen Hoffe.

“Look around you, Thea.” He had once said as they secluded themselves in the corner of their extravagant parlor. 

“Look at how far we’ve fallen. Every month what remains of this Empire comes squabbling back to us, begging to be fed like a stray bitch–starving and pathetic.”

A crystal decanter full of some foreign fermented substance stood on an ornate table next to Thea, and her father reached over to pour the liquid into his clear cup. Kohen was a picture of pure opulence and perfection watching the liquor flow into his tumbler with a steely expression. His trading business, which helped smuggle Empire goods to and from Eriadu under the nose of New Republic scum, gave his family a mass of wealth few other loyalists could match. 

This fortune reflected in his fine if simple clothing, with stygian fabric cut precisely around his frame. The weaved cloth was stiff and tailored flawlessly, hugging her father’s formidable figure and emanating intimidation. His nexu fur-trimmed shoulder cape draped casually on his side, displaying how effortlessly his affluence was earned–and spent. 

Although the Hoffes always supported the Empire, her father loathed the officers who came to be entertained routinely. To Kohen, all Empire personnel who truly deserved to be showered in exotic meats and expensive booze courtesy of  _ his  _ credits died in the war, terrorized and wiped out by the rebels.

“I see, father.” Thea replied, looking up to his height in adoration. Thea loved her father dearly, and anything he uttered was her religion.

“This is not our future, my darling,” He came to stand next to the seat she occupied, resting his hand on her head endearingly. “It cannot be.”

“Do you think so?” Her eyes were wide, clutching onto his every word.

He turned to look at the guests crowding Thea’s mother, who laughed in delight at some crude comment made by one of the officers.

“I know so, Thea. The Empire is gone, but the chaos–the  _ lawlessness  _ of the New Republic–it cannot exist without the inevitability of order.”

Kohen looked on at the scene before him in disgust. The blatant greed and sloth exhibited by these cowards in his living room was an affront to his being. Thea could feel her father’s hand on her head tighten for just a second before her father released it, petting her hair down and dropping his hand to her shoulder.

“And that order will be swift, Thea. The weak will not be spared. It will be violent. It will be unforgiving.”

Pulling his eyes from the swinish men before him, Kohen brought his gaze down to his daughter. He smiled wide, his expression alive with mirth.

“I promise you that.”

* * *

The cruiser came to a halt in the hangar, shaking slightly as the ship made touchdown with dark durasteel. Thea systematically inspected her pitch-black officers uniform, smoothing down the shallow wrinkles acquired during her galactic trip. With a nod to the pilots, Thea stood and strode to the entrance ramp. Shifting and shuddering, the ramp lowered as she sank below the cruiser. 

The hangar of Starkiller Base appeared slowly before her as she descended. The jet black interior reflected the entire room like a mirror, contrasting magnificently with the bright white lights that peaked through apertures in the walls and floors. Blood red incandescents periodically hung throughout the space, bouncing off the reflecting walls with harsh illumination. First Order ships, TIE fighters, and speeders crowded the bay, with countless stormtroopers, officers, and technicians milling about. 

When she was reassigned to the Base, Thea had been told by her superiors that preparations were running behind. With that intel, she had surmised that Starkiller Base was nothing more than a scrap of metal piled onto the ice planet Ilum. What she saw instead was a massive operation of ambitious size, even if it was being organized questionably. 

With a final look around Thea stepped off the ramp, but stopped suddenly to avoid running into a particularly determined MSE droid. It beeped emphatically as it went by, to which Thea raised an amused eyebrow.

“Lieutenant Thea Hoffe?” 

Whipping her head toward the unknown voice, Thea found the owner standing a few meters away. With impeccable posture and deep umber skin, the man in a dust blue uniform greeted her with a dip of his head. The title of Colonel was denoted on his cuff as he placed his hands in front of him, displaying the patch of material nobility against the blue of his sleeve with pride. His greying hair and stark green eyes, which had traces of fine lines at their corners, implied this officer had bounds of experience and would not be suffering fools.

“Yes, sir. Senior Lieutenant.” Thea replied matter-of-factly, approaching the man. 

Even if he was a Colonel, she wouldn’t let her hard-earned rank be reduced. All her time in the First Order taught her to be fierce and uncompromising. Thea wasn’t afraid to assert herself.

“Oh,” The Colonel smirked, taking a glance at his datapad. “Senior Lieutenant–that’s right.”

He tapped a few times on the screen, his amusement never fading. 

That was strange, Thea had never seen such openness in all her time with the Order. Emotions were guarded. To be easy to read was a sign of weakness, of improper training. If someone happened to break the purposefully blank expression employed by the First Order, then they returned to it in an instant, praying no one realized their mistake. 

Not with this man, it seemed. A Colonel, no less.

“I’m Colonel Nikolas Isom,” the Isom said, returning the datapad to his side. “That’s quite a bit above Senior Lieutenant, wouldn’t you say?”

If Thea wasn’t afraid to assert herself, it seemed Isom wasn’t either.

“Yes, sir.” Thea said stoically, not permitting the comment to affect her. 

Although his words prodded Thea’s self-assurance, she noted that Colonel Isom didn’t speak to her with a biting tone. It was as if he was messing with her, which was unnerving. Truly, Thea would’ve preferred sternness to his joviality. 

“Good. I’ll show you your station and the facilities on base. There isn’t much time, so I ask that you do your best to keep up.”

“Of course, Colonel.” 

Isom set a brisk pace as he led the way out of the hangar. Turning on a long hallway, Thea took in the architecture of Starkiller Base, which she recognized as having Imperial inspiration. Walls were lit with the same harsh red undertone as the hangar, and slits in the onyx walls allowed sharp white light to burst through and illuminate the expanse. However, even with the presence of light, darkness dominated. The corridors and passageways were dim, which Thea felt comfortable in. 

The muted ambiance of the First Order had always felt humble to Thea. The power of the Order was sacred, honorable, and it didn’t need to be brandished like an insecure child. The First Order was aware of its own power, of what it was capable of. It didn’t derive its worth from fools. 

A rancor didn’t need to brandish its teeth to assert its strength, it was the wise that understood its inherent danger not be underestimated.

Isom turned down a final corner that revealed several elevators and personnel talking as they entered and exited the lifts. The Colonel walked forward and pressed the call button, turning to her once it was illuminated. 

“As you’ve been informed by your superiors, upper command has ordered that this base be fully operational sooner than previously…  _ determined _ –which means our preparations have fallen behind schedule.” His voice betrayed a tinge of annoyance. Thea made a note of that.

“This is why you have been reassigned to this base from your previous station.”

A chime sounded, and the two First Order officers stepped into the waiting elevator.

“I’ve heard great praise from your commanding officers,” Isom said as he pressed the switch to their desired floor, elevator doors closing as the lift shuddered to life. “You’re very good at getting things done quickly.”

Thea nodded, glad to hear her commanders thought of her previous work highly.

“Thank you, Colonel. Serving as head of logistics for planetary colonization of Riflor was a fulfilling, if challenging, task.” Thea attempted to suppress the cocksure tone which fell easily from her lips when speaking about the Siege of Riflor, the magnum opus of her First Order career.

It didn’t work. 

“It was a very  _ minor  _ operation, but a successful one nonetheless.” Isom chirped, voice pleasant even though Thea felt like he had just slapped her in the face.

She almost narrowed her eyes in disagreement but willed herself to remain calm.

“Yes, well, I hope to provide my expertise where I can.” Thea replied coolly, the elevator doors opening to a hallway identical to the one they had just left.

“And you will, in time.” 

Isom cast a sideways glance at her before leading the way out of the elevator. Thea caught another sarcastic smile pull at his lips, which birthed greater annoyance from the young officer.

Isom set off to once again to lead her to destinations unknown, but as Thea followed, she realized this floor was dominated by the grey and black uniforms of First Order officers. Sergeants and lieutenants littered the passageways. All those who crossed Isom’s path nodded as he passed, standing at attention as he went. 

“This is the officer’s floor–for lower command, upper command has separate accommodation,” The Colonel spoke loudly so Thea could hear him as he trekked the twists and turns.

“And these are the officer quarters.”

With that, Isom ceased his pace. Thea narrowly avoided running into him by throwing her weight back, teetering momentarily to regain her balance as he watched her flounder. Irritated, Thea held her hands together behind her back to hide her fists.

“All officers have individual rooms on Starkiller Base, and this is yours.” He gestured to the door between the two of them. The door was chrome plated, devoid of any marking on its polished surface. The only form of identification was the number on the wall to the right of the doorframe, which sat above a number pad. 

“Barrack 693.” Thea read aloud, then went to press the buttons on the number pad. Colonel Isom covered the keypad with his gloved hand, blocking her.

“Every barrack has a code to unlock the door,” Isom informed as if this wasn’t standard procedure in all First Order ships and bases. “You can create yours later, after your shift.” 

“Yes, sir.”

“The dining hall is farther down this hallway…” Isom trailed off, face scrunching as he seemed to remember something.

Suddenly distracted, Isom brought out his datapad in one quick motion. He clicked his tongue once the screen brightened, the dim light illuminating the front of his dark uniform. With an exhale, he turned the screen off and put the device away. 

“And it seems I won’t be able to show it to you.”

Without warning, Isom stormed past Thea. She watched his figure retreat down the hallway they had just come down, confused as to the abrupt hurry.

“With me, Senior Lieutenant!” Isom shouted behind him, spurring Thea into action. “I told you to keep up.”

“Apologies, Colonel.”

The young officer pulled up beside him just as Isom’s  comlink  sounded off, beeping in the Isom’s pocket.

“Perfect,” he frowned, bringing the comlink to his mouth. “This is Colonel Nikolas Isom.”

“Colonel,” a distorted voice spoke from the device. “You are requested on the command bridge.”

“I’m on my way.” Isom spoke in a rush.

He shoved the comlink back into his pants pocket. Rounding a corner, Isom slammed his hand on the elevator call switch. He stood back with Thea, willing the elevators to move quickly.

“Is everything alright, sir?”

“Of course, Senior Lieutenant.” He looked to her as the elevator doors parted before them.

“The General has arrived.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for the next chapter.


End file.
